To make a decision to lose weight, and stick to it

[callherwillow]

Disclaimer - I've lost weight in the past, I'm not coming to it completely ignorant, and please don't insult me. But here are the facts:

I am 4 stone overweight, which obviously places me into the 'obese' category.
My joints hurt.
I am unfit.
My clothes don't fit.
Buying new clothes is largely a pointless exercise, as I'm hunting for things that make me look slim. Nothing makes me look slim.
I avoid having my photograph taken
I am avoiding trying to find someone for a relationship
My eating is expensive. I don't drink at all (hardly) but I can easily spend anything between £10/£20 on food. A day.
I am actually a moral person and personally believe it is wrong to use animals as food. These morals have a tendency to vanish.
I feel unattractive, unsexy, un-everything.

So, having been honest, I need to now do something about it, and properly. I'm writing this down because I hope that I will stick to it if the nest of vipers tell me to

So. Here we go ...

[Iamblossom]

Good luck! Are you going to follow a particular way of eating? Do you exercise at the moment, and are you going to?

FWIW I do 5:2 (actually 6:1 now as am in maintenance) and I have found it miraculous.

[Titsywoo]

I'm in EXACTLY the same position as you. Am also 4 stone overweight. Have been trying to lose it for about 5 years but never got more than 3 days into a diet and am now a stone bigger than I was last year :(

[Shoxfordian]

Good luck
I've been losing weight this year too and am only a stone and a half down mainly because I've still been eating out and drinking occasionally but just getting back on my plan whenever possible.
Be kind to yourself when you're doing it though and you'll be OK

[callherwillow]

I'm following a particular way, yes :) and exercise - it's in the plan. Exercise is a double edged sword. It undoubtedly helps with weight loss - or rather for me, if I DO crack, and binge, exercise means I don't suffer the after effects. It also gives my skin a nice glow :) HOWEVER, it makes me hungry - very hungry. So although I am a member of a gym, I find it hard really as I worry it will encourage overeating.

[callherwillow]

Yeah, that's me Titsy, stick to a diet for a week, oh woo, I should be thin by now!

[WorraLiberty]

Good luck

You'll get bombarded with advice about various diets now, but my advice is to cut back your portion sizes and stick to 3 meals per day, with lots of water in between.

If all these diets worked, you'd only ever have to do them once.

Whereas changing the way you eat forever/how much you eat in one sitting, is a lifestyle change that involves very little in the way of denial.

[callherwillow]

That's why I'm avoiding weight loss threads and chat, Worra - I'm doing a very regimented type of diet, which I know some people don't like, but works for me and YY to water.

I agree that changing the way you eat forever is necessary, I really do not argue with that for a second - but for me personally I need to get myself to a place where I feel I have a decent sized body to do that. I hope that makes sense!

[Titsywoo]

I really want to add a lot more veg to my diet - I eat bugger all at the moment which isn't helping health wise! Need to find a way to add it in at every meal. I hate fruit so breakfast is a bit harder especially as I am always in a rush.

[FeliciaJollygoodfellow]

Easier said than done though isn't it!

I tried cutting my calories and portion sizes like Worra suggests and didn't lose anything. Don't know why, I was charting it all on my fitness pal and it wasn't 1200 calories of sweets or anything!

I'm doing slimming world and like the social aspect - it has helped me keep on track more than anything. I'm learning to forgive myself a bit more and not self sabotage and turn one 'bad' meal into a bad week.

[WorraLiberty]

Yeah I get what you mean...like a sort of kick start to lift your spirits.

As long as you go with the change eventually, you should never have to utter the word diet again

[Iamblossom]

Agree with long term change to way of eating rather than a diet per se - that is what I view 5:2 as - something I will do from now on. Not a quick fix.

[WorraLiberty]

Oh all of it is much easier said than done, sadly.

But interestingly, every time a thread comes up asking slim people what they eat/how they eat to stay slim, the answer is overwhelmingly that they eat less food and take more exercise than the not so slim people.

It's not really even about what they eat, just that they eat less of it.

Obviously people have different appetites, but a gradual reduction over a period of time seems to work for lots of people.

Well more so than getting caught in a cycle of yo-yo dieting.

[Chocolatefudgecake100]

If ur obese cut your carbs research it i lost 5 stone doing that not easy but not looked back

[callherwillow]

Thanks :)

Exercise is a 'worry' - in the sense that it does make me hungrier than if I don't. I might leave it a week and just see how I feel.

I can't stay this size - it's so not me :)

[Chocolatefudgecake100]

Trust me google the low carb thing it drops off you but still took a year to drop that 5 stone i genuinely think its great and cost me nothing to do it i did also add jillian michaels workout in its intense but good but even when not doing that i lost but i was v strict on diet

[callherwillow]

That's great but as I've said, I know what I want to do :)

[Dreamqueen]

What plan are you following Willow?

[Iamblossom]

regarding exercising makes you more hungry - I guess that is all tied up in the fact that you need to retrain your appetite - over time if you resist the hunger it will reduce, and you will find you don't feel it so much even after exercise. It's also about (IMVHO) realising that nothing actually bad is going to happen if you are hungry....and the pangs do pass.

[callherwillow]

I know blossom but I could eat a horse after exercise usually! I am doing the Cambridge weight plan :)

[clarrrp]

I'm a huge fan of slimming world and from what you have said it sounds like it could be a good plan for you.

[HackerFucker22]

It's all about timing!!! Today is day 1 of week 2 for me and I had a miraculous 7.4lb loss last week. I know most of it was water and I am never going to have a loss like that again but man it felt good!!!

I lost 3st a decade ago following a low GI plan. Gained a stone back and then used MFP to lose it. Then got pregnant and then got pregnant again!!!

I've been trying to shift my weight (3st) for a year now and it's only just last week something in me has clicked.

I'm using MFP to plan meals in advance, I'm on 1300 cals, aiming for at least 12k steps a day. No carbs with evening meal 3-4 times per week. But I am allowing 1 cheat night per week.... if I have a loss.

It's a long road and I expect it to take a good year to get there. But I feel positive.

Good luck OP

[Pinkheart5915]

Good luck OP

[BitOutOfPractice]

Hello OP - I could have written your OP. Word for word.

I started three weeks ago and finally do feel ready to tackle this 4 stone. I've lost 7lbs so far and I'm really pleased with that considering I went on holiday for 6 days during that.

Good luck. Keep checking in here and we can encourage each other.

I do have really big reservations about Cambridge but I know I'd be wasting my breath trying to disaude you if you've decided so I won't bother

[Dieu]

Hello OP. Are you actually me?!